According to the RTP WhitePaper Integrating Mobile Across All Touch Points, Smartphones will Influence $689 billion in Retail Store sales by 2016. They currently influence approximately $159 billion in total sales revenue and with 100s of billions of dollars at stake the inconvenient truth is that retailers need to contend with shopper behavior changes and the challenges of this new  dynamic environment. Not to mention, mobile marketers have yet to unilaterally codify benchmarks for success.

As shown in the below chart, only 50% of the brands polled have mobile web sites, less than a third use mobile technology currently and less than a third leverage mobile for customized promotions/offers through customers’ devices; the quintessential example of MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

Overlooking mobile as a means to engage with customers is a travesty and could be the catalyst in the demise of a retailer or brand. 

Sound severe? Well it is, and here’s why:

When asking consumers about their most recent shopping trip, Deloitte found that 72% of smartphone owners indicated they made a purchase on that day, compared with 63% of shoppers who did not tap into their devices within the same period.

The moral is smartphone-toting consumers appear more likely to make a purchase than those who do not own one or do not use it to assist with in-store shopping.

We have entered into a brave new digital world where contextual content can be experienced, any time, any place—creating more opportunities than ever before for marketers to reach, engage and measure consumers.

Sophisticated shoppers respond to the “pull” advertising model whereby consumers request product info and pull it through the delivery channel.  The use of the word “pull” is to describe the consumer that is raising their hand and asking, you the retailer, or the brand to engage.  They want to be talked to, they want you to send them something, they want you to share.   However, campaign execution can become a bit dicey since personalization and relevance tend to be main drivers for incentivizing a consumer’s engagement. The frame-work for building a successful “pull” oriented program begins with knowing the breakdown of the demographic profile being targeted.

Age, gender, income level, location, region, country, etc. are paramount and vital to delivering the right piece of information to the right individual.  Using business intelligence to guide marketing decisions will enable retailers and brands to respond to these hand raisers.

The ScanLife platform captures vital metadata such as Handset OS, Location and Demographics via smart code technology. Easily enabling retailers and marketers to deliver contextual and personalized  experiences based on parameters such as language setting of device, time of scan, location, etc.

To learn more, please email sales@ScanLife.com

Comparing prices online has become the shopper’s mandatory rite of passage prior to most purchases. By enabling this habit during the purchase, smartphones have, in effect, negated retailers the control of their shopper’s experience in their own store — creating a new challenge for marketers in the form of “showrooming”, where consumers check out a product in store, and then go online to buy it. In fact, our post back in December highlighted the fact that smartphones influence 5.1% of annual retail stores sales, a figure which is expected to grow to 19%, or $689 billion in brick-and-mortar transactions by 2016. And since brick-and-mortar retailers incur much higher fixed costs than online retailers, they cannot compete on price – at least in the long run.

So gone are the days when more shoppers (or footfall) translated immediately into more buyers, particularly if the retailer sells relatively costly, non-perishable items such as consumer electronics.

Now for the good news: While price is critical to maintain market share, other variables have been propelled to the front stage: according to a new report, “Showrooming: Empowering Consumer Electronics Shoppers” from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the top three drivers for purchasing in-store are:

1. Convenience
2. Trying and seeing the product
3. Price

In contrast, the top ranked motivators for purchasing online are as follows:

1. Price
2. Convenience
3. Selection and availability

In summary, it appears that brick-and-mortar retailers appeal to shoppers for the same reasons that the teleconference technology of the world cannot replace good old fashioned face-to-face meetings. Shoppers are able to see, touch, try the product, and experience the instant gratification that comes with its purchase.

And to maximize opportunities for conversion, mobile engagement technologies are the retailer’s best weapon. Indeed, in two previous articles (available here and here), I compiled examples of retailers which are able to increase their reach, the stickiness of their stores and multiply opportunities for conversion at every stage of the purchase process.

These simple yet effective tactics consist of linking physical assets, e.g. through QR Codes, to a mobile-optimized page so shoppers can watch demos, read comments, review product information, place an order, receive a coupon or collect points which are redeemable in-store (and much more).  In the process, a retailer will understand which collaterals work better than others and collect valuable consumer analytics to improve targeting.

Most of these tactics involve some repackaging of the content and marketing assets that retailers already have, which is much less resource-intensive than launching and promoting a fully-fledged e-commerce business. Shoppers already have all the reasons to visit their favorite stores. Now it’s time to give them all the reasons to buy.

Looking to dive deeper into ways to fight showrooming? Download our whitepaper titled “The Showrooming Effect: How Retailers Can Use QR Codes to Create Opportunity”.

For expert advice or questions on QR Codes and mobile engagement opportunities consider reaching out:
-  Visit ScanLife.com
- Join LinkedIn Group “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement”
- Or, simply contact us at sales@scanlife.com

With another groundbreaking quarter behind us, we are thrilled to release the ScanLife Mobile Barcode Trend Report for Q1 2013 – in infographic form! This report offers vital insights into the who, what, where, and why of scanning over the past few months. Be sure to check out the new charts and let us know if you’d like to learn more about using the ScanLife Mobile Engagement Platform.

Key takeaways include:

• We processed over 18 million scans in Q1 2013, and saw our highest scan month ever in March with 6.7 million scans.

• Consumers are interested in engaging almost equally throughout the week, with weekends experiencing slightly higher volumes.

• Ages 25-44 make up nearly half of our scan audience at 48%.

• The most scanned QR Code campaigns are connecting users to product info and come from the retail industry.

 A huge THANK YOU to everyone for making these statistics possible!

Click the image below to magnify the report.  You may also download a printable version by clicking here.

Creative professionals working on product packaging or advertisements fight for every bit of space to articulate the brand while maintaining some artistic integrity. So when a marketing manager mandates a square inch of space devoted to a QR Code, a sigh of frustration sometimes overcomes the designer: as this Ohio University paper highlights, customizing QR Codes requires great caution to make sure its readability isn’t hampered.

Disruptive technology inherently challenges the visual and behavioral status quo, by inviting consumers to take specific actions through explicit, unambiguous and recognized cues. Just as phone numbers accompanied the telephone and URLs connected the World Wide Web, QR Codes emerged as a complementary technology to the most disruptive technological development at present – the mobile phone.

QR Codes possess the intelligence to deliver enjoyable user experiences and mobile optimized content: embedded within the QR Code is the power to transform a typical encounter with a can of soda or magazine ad into an artful digital experience in the palm of one’s hand. In that sense, QR codes remind the marketer of the popular maxim – beauty is on the inside.

But QR Codes also have great potential for design, and to unleash them, ScanLife integrates the only QR Check™ technology which automatically verifies the readability of your custom design code.

At last, designers are offered the opportunity to design a clever QR Code that uses color and imagery to speak volumes, confident that they will work!

Send us your most creative QR Code ─we are inspired by creativity!

For expert advice or questions on QR Codes and mobile engagement opportunities consider reaching out:
-  Visit ScanLife.com
- Join LinkedIn Group “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement”
- Contact us at sales@scanlife.com
- Reading this on your smartphone? Simply tap the QR Code below and pick your favorite options!

Earlier this week AT&T announced an agreement to offer enhanced mobile engagement capabilities via the ScanLife code Mobile Engagement Platform to help businesses offer their customers a richer mobile experience.  Check out all the new features available from AT&T Mobile Barcode Services, now powered by Scanbuy. Read the full news release here. 

Below is a quick snapshot of what others are saying about the big news:

• AT&T helps businesses get more out of QR codes via Retailing via Retailing Today

• AT&T Inks Scanbuy QR Deal, Aids Marketers’ Campaigns via MediaPost

• AT&T Enhances Mobile Engagement Capabilities With New Mobile Barcode Services Platform via CNBC

• AT&T Enhances Mobile Engagement Capabilities With New Mobile Barcode Services Platform via Yahoo Finance

• AT&T, Scanbuy Partner for Expanded QR Code Platform via Mobile Marketing Watch

• AT&T partners with Scanbuy for mobile bar code services via CNET

• AT&T, Scanbuy team on mobile barcode services platform via Fierce Mobile Content

Not unlike the Matrix, I sometimes experience different realities, moving parallel to one another, evolving at different speeds and with their own language. Here’s why:

Reality One
We live in a reality where we are constantly bombarded by advertisements. Yet when I discuss with friends and family our experiences with ads, we feel that the majority fails to have the intended impact. Why? To a large extent it has to do with the fact that 21^st century consumers are more marketing savvy than any generation prior. Nowadays, consumers expect marketers to get to the heart of why their brands or products are meaningfully unique and “why” they exist in consumers’ lives at all.

Furthermore, we feel that the campaigns which leave a lasting impression are the ones with some degree of interactivity, where consumers have the ability to express themselves while brands demonstrate that they listen and, whenever appropriate, respond with a level of candidness.

Reality Two
Most of the above observations haven’t gone unnoticed by my fellow marketers – whether  it be on the brand or agency side. When working with them, the vast majority agree that successful campaigns hinge on their ability to deploy context, interaction, and social dynamics to deliver truly engaging campaigns –at least at some theoretical level. And most agree to say that the mobile medium is pivotal to this endeavour. In fact, many of the conferences I attend discuss the shift towards “SoLoMo” marketing –short for “Social Local Mobile” marketing.

Reality Three
Evidently, the challenge lies in turning these concepts into reality. Short-term imperatives, conflicts of interests, trade-offs and constraints all conspire to undermine the execution of great campaigns. It’s not an easy ride however, and there are plenty of bullets to dodge in slow motion─matrix style. But when marketers rise to the challenge, something magical happens: the different realities converge to create a coherent and powerful movement, which allows brands to build value-adding relationships with their audience.

For expert advice or questions on QR Codes and mobile engagement opportunities consider reaching out:
-  Visit ScanLife.com
- Join LinkedIn Group “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement”
- Or, simply contact us at sales@scanlife.com

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the “Mobile Insider Summit”, a Scanbuy-sponsored event hosted by MediaPost. Having attended at least three or four times previously, I was prepared for a few quality days of discussing the many virtues of the mobile ecosystem.  As expected, there was an impressive line-up of panels with speakers who each had relevant insights to share.  However, what was most exciting to me was the common change of perception around QR Codes.  Of course I have a vested interest in QR, as the VP of Sales for Scanbuy, but similar to the rise and fall and rise again of the internet, QR Codes are experiencing an unprecedented renaissance. Over the years most brands, retailers and marketers have dabbled with QR Codes –just to see what they could do, but over the last few quarters they’ve embraced the technology to achieve more ambitious mobile marketing goals.

The underlying theme of this year’s Summit was CUSTOMER FIRST, and we were treated to some great examples of success.  Eric Weissberg, Executive Creative Director at JWT shared some terrific use cases including Macy’s use of QR within their red star logo. He said, “QR usually leads to crap on the back end”, but he believes they are very valuable if you use them properly.  Gary Shechner, Advertising and Marketing Manager for BP’s Arco AM/PM convenient stores shared a similar thought on QR.  In fact, he suggested QR has been very well received by his clients and has resulted in great success for his promotional campaigns. We heard similar stories from others including Melanie Allgood, Sr. Manager of Mobile for Autotrader, “consumers ability to scan a code on a car for information is the ultimate!”

Bon Mercado, Head of Mobile Solutions for Google kicked off and shared some incredible stats around mobile traffic to Google.  Only five years ago they saw 1% of traffic via a mobile device, today 13%!  This is overall traffic –which is amazing when you think of the billions of interactions Google sees daily.  With more and more interactions being executed via mobile each day, the need for marketers to deliver more personalized and relevant content is now expected by consumers.  When this mobile experience is done well, engagement increases, which in turn improves conversion–the Holy Grail.

At Scanbuy, we have spent the last few years in the market experiencing the “shiny object” effect to the “NFC will take over” effect. Now we are at a point where brands understand that there is a value and they are seeking the strategic advice to use QR Codes properly.  We are seeing this everyday with the clients that we work with.  Today, we have evolved our QR Code platform to a “Mobile Engagement Platform”, with the power to help our clients deliver personalized relevant content, regardless of the trigger (QR Codes, NFC, etc.) being used.  Circling back to the theme of the conference, CUSTOMER FIRST, there is no better way to achieve this then by delivering what they want, when they want it, and where they want it.  It was a great event and I look forward to attending it once again. The video below includes the presentation that I delivered at the Mobile Insider Summit.

Please send me an email at adam.gold@scanbuy.com if you’d like to discuss further. You can also watch a video of my presentation embedded below:

Video streaming by Ustream

For expert advice or questions on QR Codes and mobile engagement opportunities consider reaching out:
-  Visit ScanLife.com
- Join LinkedIn Group “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement”
- Or, simply contact us at sales@scanlife.com

This week, Google, released research on mobile searches and the ensuing consumer behavior.

For marketers seeking to tap into the potential of the mobile channel, this report (available here) has the merit of highlighting key paradigms underlying successful mobile engagement, namely:

• Context-driven: at home, vs. in-store, vs. on the go, etc.
• Action-oriented: “find more information”, “book a table”, “share with your friends”, etc.
•  Convenience and immediacy: right here, right now, at a click of a button.

Without further ado, here’s what you need to remember about the research.

What people search for

The chart below shows the categories of information respondents are most likely to search – entertainment, news, and shopping-related items top the charts.

The context of the mobile search

Overall, 81% of mobile searches are driven by speed and convenience. As a result, 77% of mobile searches occur at home or at work, despite the fact that respondents had access to a desktop computer. This should come as no surprise, as mobile devices tend to be always on and within reach -no need to boot a computer.

The chart below gives a more detailed picture of how mobile search contexts depend on what is being searched for by the consumer.

 Post-search behaviour

This is where mobile shines, leaving any other communication channel in the dust:

• 73% of mobile searches trigger a follow-up action, whether it be further research, a store visit, a phone call, a purchase or word-of-mouth sharing. And 63% of these actions occur within 1 hour of the search.
• 28% of mobile searches result in purchase-related conversions (store visit, call purchase) and 55% of them occur within 1 hour.

Other statistics that are of interest are shown in the table below:

Conclusion

The mobile channel gives marketers plenty of new opportunities to connect with and convert their audience, while accumulating deeper consumer insights in real-time. And those looking for inspiration will find plenty of noteworthy examples and best practices on our blog (try here and here to begin with). Now it’s time to execute.

For expert advice or questions on QR Codes and mobile engagement opportunities consider reaching out:
-  Visit ScanLife.com
- Join LinkedIn Group “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement”
- Or, simply contact us at sales@scanlife.com

This year at Mobile World Congress, there was a sense that a new chapter was turned: smartphones penetration had shot past the 50% threshold and tablet penetration has reached 1 in 4 adults in the US. Android and iOS updates, which determine much of nowadays’ user experiences, were challenged by smaller but no less ambitious players, namely RIM, Windows, Ubuntu, and –surprise surprise – Mozilla, which managed to sign up 17 different operators to its Firefox OS. Moreover, countless companies introduced their mobile wallets and payments solutions, and NFC-powered e-ticketing systems. Tons of promising technologies, each with their strengths and drawbacks, as our CEO Mike Wehrs explains in this Mobile Marketer article.

Clearly, the mobile landscape has entered the mass consumption phase: for consumers this means that a world of choices is about to open up to them. For the 72,000 visitors who swarmed the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, it meant that the stakes were higher than ever.

For marketers however, this is a double-edged sword: on the one hand the majority of people now interact with, and can be reached through their mobile devices. On the other hand, when targeting their audience, they will have to factor in the increasing diversity of behaviours and touch points, underpinned by the multiplication and ubiquity of these mobile technologies.

In some ways, this mobile technology boom is akin to the television boom of the early 2000s, when the multiplication cable TV channels, each focusing on a theme, meant that marketers could more easily identify and target specific segments. It also meant that they could no longer broadcast an advertisement confident that it would reach a wide audience.

Sure, many of the technologies on display at Mobile World Congress will take months, even years to take on; and many will disappear almost as instantly as they appeared on stage.

Regardless, mobile as a marketing channel has been propelled from “nice-to-have” to “must-have” grade.

The good news is that when it comes to execution, mobile engagement campaigns follow the same principles (i.e. call-to-action, context based and value-adding content, etc. For a detailed review of mobile engagement principles and best practices, click here) regardless of the technology. We therefore strongly believe that mobile engagement platforms which can process any digital triggers (QR Codes, NFC, images, etc.) allow marketers not to be distracted by continuous shifts in the technology landscape, while preparing them for tomorrow’s challenges.

For expert advice on how to integrate mobile engagement tactics to your marketing campaigns, contact us or visit www.scanlife.com

You may also…

• Join the discussions on the “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement” LinkedIn group
• Download the ScanLife app and start scanning by going to http://www.scanlife.com/ with the browser of your mobile app or searching for ‘ScanLife’ in your app store.

QR Code trends continue to gain momentum as smartphone owners grow across the globe, and smart marketers turn to engage marketing to reach mobile consumers.  Released last month, eMarketer’s latest statistics  showcase that on average, 19% of US respondents (1 in 5) have scanned a QR Code ahead of the 15% average in Europe. Interestingly, across both regions research continues to support print is the primary media placement for QR Code engagement.  Another indication of printing trend research (released by Nellymoser) reported that response rates are higher with QR Codes than direct mail.

Putting the numbers into perspective

Comparing these statistics with other marketing innovations that have come out of the recent years allows us to appreciate the implications of these studies: the table below shows the consumer adoption of Twitter in the US, as measured by eMarketer. In 2012, this amounted to 11.5% of the adult population and 14.4% of internet users.

But wait, it gets better. In 2012 research by Accenture on the effectiveness of consumer engagement triggers concluded that among 1,000 television viewers, 28% had interacted with a QR Code, vs. 18% with a Twitter hashtag. Similarly, during the 2012 London Olympics, we found that the proportion of individuals interacting with QR Codes was 36% higher than with Foursquare. Last but not least, our own research shows that the average engagement post scan to click was 62%.

Like social media in the early days, marketers who learn to harness the power of mobile engagement will have a significant head start in the market place -whether it’s QR Codes today, or combined with NFC or augmented reality tomorrow.

For expert advice on how to integrate mobile engagement tactics to your marketing campaigns, contact us or visit www.scanlife.com

You may also…

• Join the discussions on the “Exchanging Smarter Ideas on Mobile Engagement” LinkedIn group
• Follow us on Twitter
• Like us on Facebook
• Download the ScanLife app and start scanning by going to http://getscanlife.com/ with the browser of your mobile app or searching for ‘ScanLife’ in your app store.